Rochieren
Rochieren, the Cursed Stronghold, is a castle within the Kingdom of Whytehold, at the western edge of the kingdom, bordering both the Erdannian Empire and the Dominion of New Haven. It is located within the province of Rivenwald Rochieren is a location of great historical significance. Once a primary stronghold of the Bordellyon Kingdom, it has had many owners since that kingdom's fall. Rochieren is rumoured to be a cursed castle, anyone who has owned it has suffered great tragedy, and many of its castellans have committed suicide. History The legend of this cursed castle began with the fall of the Kingdom of Bordellyon, and the tragic battle of Rochieren. Princess Constantina rode into battle against the forces of Haven, accompanied by her silver knights and a reinforcing army of mercenaries from Erradan. However, she was betrayed by the Erdannians, who had been conspiring with Haven all along. She retreated to Rochieren and made a futile last stand, only to have her army destroyed, and herself taken captive. For over a month she was tormented by the mages and mercenaries, until she killed herself by leaping from the highest tower, while screaming curses at her captors. The occupying force, a mixture of mages from Haven and mercenaries from Erradan, blamed each other for the death of their valuable hostage. The two forces had been in a fragile alliance up to this point, and the death of the princess caused their disagreements to rise to outright hostility. What followed was a chaotic massacre, which left both sides depleted, but ultimately it was the mercenaries who fled. Before they could return to Erradan, these mercenaries encountered an Erdannian army, who put them to death for endangering their alliance with Haven, and deserting the castle. Soldiers who had been captured during the war with Bordellyon were rounded up and taken to Rochieren, where the havenite mage who now controlled the castle used them to perform some hideous experiments. It wasn't long before he ended up climbing the highest tower of the castle and leaping from the top, for an unknown reason. His followers fled the castle. When Whyteholders arrived at Rochieren months later, they found a horrible scene, parts of the castle were filled with dead bodies, some of who had died in the conflicts, some who were prisoners who starved to death after the occupants of the castle left. The abundance of bodies left out caused many ghouls to arise and feast on the corpses. The whyteholders brought forth a contingent of warrior priests, to cleanse the place and burn the bodies. These priests completed their task, but all caught a terrible disease from the bodies and died. From that point onwards, the castle became known as being cursed. Perhaps it was the vengeful soul of Princess Constantina, or perhaps it was merely the result of the atrocities committed within the castle walls, or perhaps it was merely a coincidence. Nevertheless, nobody who has ever occupied Rochieren has lived a long and happy life afterwards. It has often been a strategic point in Tyrranean wars, changing owners constantly, but at times of peace it is left well alone and avoided like the plague.